Women's Basketball

Although Women's Basketball didn't become an Olympic sport until 1976, and the WNBA wasn't founded until 1996, make no mistake, women's basketball has been around since James Naismith invented the game in 1891. A girls gymnastics teacher named Sendra Berenson adapted the game for women a year later, but of course, she didn't get an easy ride of it. After all, in those days women weren't supposed to play sports, they weren't supposed to throw balls and jump around, they were weak, they needed to rest and prepare to have babies, not get exercise!

Early Stars Of Women's Basketball

Thankfully, against the odds, women's basketball increased in popularity, and by the mid 1930's basketball was a popular pastime enjoyed by many girls. Enter the All American Red Heads, who really helped to bring the game to the forefront of Americans. Ole Olson was a basketball player and coach whose wife owned a chain of beauty salons. Several of the girls were talented basketball players and they formed their own team. Two of the girls had naturally red hair, and one night, for a bit of fun, the rest of the girls dyed their hair red too and the All American Red Heads was born.

Ole Olson recognized what a winner they were on to, and after attracting many new players from the Amateur Athletic Union, the team hit the road. Of course, if the players didn't have naturally red hair they had to agree to either color it or wear a red wig. They also wore lots of make up and portrayed a very glamorous image.

Have you ever heard of the All American Red Heads?

No, well think Harlem Global Trotters for girls with red hair. They took America by storm during the 1940's, raising thousands of dollars for charity along the way. They all had exceptional basketball skills, and although each game started off pretty "normally", they soon thrilled the crowds with tricks and displays to prepare their audience for the show they were about to put on. They were all extremely skilful players who worked hard to get even better, and continued to wow audiences right up until 1986, breaking records and displaying their amazing abilities.

Women's Basketball might not be where it is today without the extraordinary story of the All American Red Heads.